Zhu Changji quietly apologized to her when he left.

He said that he had slipped up that day and told Deng Qiuzhi about Jin Yu's matter.

I don't blame him for trying to persuade himself.

Any normal person would have prejudices against people in brothels, and she used to think so too.

But living in ancient times meant having many things beyond one's control.

Is it wrong to be cautious?

If his father hadn't encountered a villain, their social statuses would have been worlds apart.

She was a middle-aged woman from the countryside. Jin Yu was the son of a high-ranking official in the capital. If Jin Yu's father hadn't been framed, she wouldn't even have had the chance to speak to him. So what if she was a merchant now and had money?

She had to fawn over even a minor county magistrate, let alone someone of Jin Yu's original status. It was practically impossible for the two of them to even have a chance to meet.

How many princes could possibly meet a pretty peasant girl?

Even a distinguished person wouldn't appear in this remote corner.

It's just something to coax children.

The two were too far apart in age, and she treated Jinyu like a younger brother, with no affection between them whatsoever.

Even if Jin Yu made a mistake, the mistake was that he took advantage of her.

But Yan Xia had long since stopped caring. Perhaps that was Jin Yu's lifeline. If he missed that night, he would only fall into the abyss, struggling in the brothel for the rest of his life, losing his body and his soul.

Since the money had already been spent, Jin Yu was willing to do things for her, and she accepted it.

Consider it money spent to buy a loyal subordinate.

This is Yan Xia's true thought.

Moreover, Jin Yu's favorability rating is 100%, so there is absolutely no way she would betray him.

But things shouldn't be said too explicitly; some things are better left unsaid.

Brother Deng meant well.

Yan Xia could only find an excuse to change the subject and stop answering.

"Alright, think things through yourself. I won't say any more. I'll head back now..."

How many fools can a businessman have?

Deng Qiuzhi understood Yan Xia's meaning and knew that she didn't want to talk about this anymore, so he had no choice but to give up trying to persuade her and prepare to leave.

Before he could finish speaking, a familiar voice interrupted him.

"Fine, so that's why you insisted on divorcing me. You wouldn't admit you were having an affair with that slut, but now I've caught you red-handed! Adulterers, you're living together now, and you think you can just send me away with this tiny, run-down place? You're living in a big mansion, though. Oh, my life is so miserable. I should never have married you—"

The jarring sound made Yan Xia slightly uncomfortable. She frowned her pretty eyebrows and looked at the woman on her left.

So it turns out she's Deng's ex-wife.

After a long absence, Wang Shufang had changed her usual glamorous appearance. She was dressed in old silk, which had probably been washed many times and was somewhat faded. She had no jewelry on her wrists or neck, and only a chipped jade hairpin in her hair.

He looks at least seven or eight years older.

He saw her staring at him with a ferocious expression.

Yan Xia shrugged.

I'm going to suffer another undeserved disaster.

“I have nothing to do with you anymore. Why are you still trying to drag me into this? Please get out of my sight. I don’t want to see you anymore. You make me want to vomit.”

After a few days apart, Wang Shufang had become a carbon copy of Wang Chenshi.

Deng Qiuzhi didn't even want to look at her.

That expression was one of utter disgust.

"You're fickle and unfaithful. I bore you children, toiled for you my whole life, and then you abandoned me for this little bitch! You have no heart! Your heart is made of black water! If my father were still alive, he would never forgive you! I'm so miserable! Why is my life so miserable—"

Wang Shufang cried and sang, completely disregarding her reputation.

The noise was so loud that people around them stopped and stared at them.

At this moment, Jin drove out, and Yan Xia breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother Deng, I'll be going now."

"Alright, please take care on your journey. I'm sorry about what happened today. When you come next time, Manager Yan, I'll treat you to a meal. Please do me the honor of accepting."

Deng Qiuzhi looked apologetic.

This was the second time Manager Yan had been implicated, and he was blushing with embarrassment.

"Okay." Yan Xia got into the carriage and climbed inside.

Please drive away with caution.

Wang Shufang tried to pull the carriage to stop Yan Xia from leaving, but Deng Qiuzhi pushed her to the ground. Due to the inertia, she fell on her butt.

"You, you actually dared to hit me! Are you even human? You actually hit me for a little whore!"

Wang Shufang was acting crazy. She got up from the ground and tried to rush up and scratch Hua Deng Qiuzhi's face. Because of the violent movement, the already broken jade hairpin fell to the ground and broke in two.

Her hair fell loose, draped over her shoulders, making her look like a female ghost.

"Have you made enough of a scene? I know you won't listen to any explanation I give. I truly regret it. First, I regret coming to Jiangnan County, and second, I regret marrying you. But neither of those things can be changed. We've parted amicably, and now we have no connection whatsoever. I don't know what you're doing here. I don't want to report you to the authorities. If you have any shame, stop bothering me. From now on, if you see me, please pretend you don't know me. I, Deng, never want to have anything to do with you in this lifetime!"

When Deng Qiuzhi pushed Wang Shufang, he didn't use much force.

He doesn't hit women, but if pushed to the limit, he has no choice but to do so.

Seeing his former lover become like this, he was also very sad.

It's not regret.

It's disgusting.

After finishing the call, Deng Qiuzhi left.

Wang Shufang stood there dumbfounded.

The onlookers pointed and whispered about her.

She truly regretted it; she regretted the divorce and listened to her mother.

After the divorce, her mother coaxed her into selling the house. The money was used to pay off her younger brother's debts, and another house was bought on another street, exclusively for her younger brother. In late May, her younger brother got married to a girl from outside the city. She was fair-skinned and beautiful, but her family was poor. The bride price was as high as fifty taels of silver, and there was no dowry. Her mother disagreed, but her younger brother insisted on marrying her, and no one could persuade him otherwise.

Mother always spoiled her younger brother, so she had no choice but to give in.

After the wedding, her jewelry and new clothes were all taken away by her sister-in-law and mother, leaving only a chipped jade hairpin.

That was bad enough, but because the house was too expensive and her mother didn't have much money, she couldn't afford to buy maids, so she did all the laundry, cooking, and cleaning herself.

It's because my sister-in-law is spoiled by her younger brother, and my mother also dotes on her younger brother.

She was the only one who had no one to care for her or love her.

After doing manual labor for a while, Wang Shufang suddenly realized her mistake.

She gave up her good life and voluntarily went back to her parents' home to be a servant; she must have been out of her mind.

A few days ago, she went to the shop to look for Deng Qiuzhi, but he wasn't there. Xinbao said he had gone out.

Wang Shufang left her new home's address and asked Xinbao to tell him.

Tell him to come to his new home to find him.

But she waited and waited.

Several days passed, but Deng Qiuzhi still didn't come.

Wang Shufang then realized that he really didn't want her anymore.

This morning, after she finished buying groceries, she overheard her mother discussing her marriage with her sister-in-law, saying that she was going to marry her off to an old man over fifty years old, with a dowry of four taels of silver.